False Assumptions
by Alyssa Blackbourn
Summary: Neal has been having a hard time since he found out he was a father. And things go from bad to worse when Peter goes missing. Related to "Her Father's Daughter" and "Friends Bring Out the Best". Please Review.
1. Discovery

_**Hi everyone! Please enjoy and comment!**_

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><p><em><em>___T__wo Months Ago…_

* * *

><p>Peter jumped when his cell phone rang. It was so quiet in his office that the sudden noise startled him. He picked up the phone and glanced at the screen. He didn't hesitate to answer when he saw Rebecca's name on the caller ID.<p>

"Hey, Rebecca, what's up," Peter greeted her.

"Hey, Peter," Rebecca said in return. She sounded nervous.

"What's wrong?" Peter asked hesitantly.

"Well, I, um…" Rebecca started. She took a deep breath before continuing. "I just picked up Jessica from Neal's, and, um…well, I think something's wrong."

"What do you mean?" Peter questioned.

"Well, I mean, maybe it's nothing, but…I don't know, he was just acting really weird. He looked at Jessica, and he looked…sad…And I found a passport on the table, and he had a suitcase by the couch that he thought I didn't notice…Peter, I think he's going to try to run," Rebecca told him, sounding distressed.

The news put Peter on edge, because from what Rebecca was telling him, she was right. "Ok, I'll go talk to him," he said finally.

"I don't want him to get in trouble, Peter," Rebecca said firmly. "I just don't want him to do anything stupid."

"I'll talk to him," Peter repeated. "That's all."

"Thanks, Peter," Rebecca sounded relieved.

"No problem," Peter smiled. Then he hung up and got on the road…

* * *

><p>Neal was gathering the last of his essentials when he heard a knock on the door.<p>

"Just a second," Neal called, pushing his suitcase under the bed before walking over to the door and pulling it open. He didn't hide his surprise when he saw Peter standing in the doorway.

"Peter," he said as his friend pushed past him into the room. "What are you doing here?"

Peter looked at his friend and decided to cut to the chase. "What are you doing, Neal?"

"What do you mean?" Neal asked, trying to hide his nervousness.

"Rebecca called me," Peter explained. Neal looked defeated as he continued. "She told me what you were planning. Next time, try and hide the suitcase and passport if you don't want anyone to know."

"Yeah, that was a dumb move on my part," Neal admitted softly.

"What are you doing, Neal?" Peter repeated. "You have a good life here. You're doing great work with us, you have a family, friends, people who care about you."

"That's exactly why I was doing it!" Neal said loudly, frustrated. "Mason taught me something. If I stay here, and someone from my past, someone who might hold a grudge, finds out that I have a daughter…I can't go through that again. I can't put Rebecca and Jessica through that again."

"We can protect them, Neal," Peter began. Neal cut him off.

"Not all the time, Peter," he said with a pained expression. "You can't protect them. And if I protect them, I just put them in more danger. If I leave, they don't have any reason to go after them. I like that option."

"Did you like prison?" Peter countered. "Because you know I'd catch you, and then you'd be back in prison. For good. But, hey, you'd get to see Jessica. Granted, you'd be doing it from behind bars, but, you know, details. Is that really what you want for her, Neal?"

Neal sighed, "You know it's not."

"But you know I'd catch you," Peter said firmly.

"Yeah, I know, Peter," Neal nodded, taking a seat on the couch. "I just…I don't know what to do here…"

Peter sighed and took a seat next to him. "Look, Neal, I get it," he began. For the second time, Neal cut him off.

"No, Peter, you don't," he said softly. "You don't know what it's like to see your daughter, who you only just found out about, barely breathing, dying, because of something you did. You don't know what it's like to know that it's your fault that they were like that. You don't know what it's like to see your partner, one of your best friends, dying slowly and painfully, and know that it's your fault and you could stop it all if you could just think a little harder. And you don't know what it's like to see someone who you used to tell everything to, someone who you considered your best friend, acting like something you know deep down that he's not, because of something you did. You don't know what it's like to...to have to kill them, to know that they purposely put you in a position where they knew you would kill them, to know that you basically helped them commit suicide. You don't know what that's like. You don't get it."

Peter looked closely at Neal. "You're right," he said finally. "Even though none of what you said was your fault, you're right. I don't get it. But I can imagine. And I understand why you think you have to do this, but you don't. Trust me, we're not going to let anything happen to Rebecca or Jessica. I promise."

"How can you promise that?" Neal challenged.

Peter sighed helplessly. "Just give me a chance, ok, Neal?" he said at last. "Don't do something we're both going to regret."

Neal hesitated, then nodded. "Ok," he said finally.

Peter paused, unsure if he should leave. Finally, he stood up, deciding he was telling the truth. "If you ever need anything," he said as he reached for the door knob.

"I know who to call," Neal finished his sentence. Peter smiled, then vanished through the doorway…

* * *

><p><em>Present Day<em>

* * *

><p>Neal walked through the park, Rebecca by his side and Jessica in between them. Attached to the leash Jessica was holding in her little hand was Shadow, Jessica's new two-month-old golden retriever puppy. It was an adorable new addition to the family, and today was Shadow's first walk. He was looking excitedly at everything and pulling at his leash.<p>

Suddenly, Shadow somehow pulled free of his collar and took off across the stone pathway towards the big open field where some guys were playing football.

"Shadow!" Jessica cried, starting after her new friend. Neal stopped her.

"I'll go get him, sweetie. You stay with your mother," he told her, taking the leash from her hand. He didn't wait for an answer before taking off. "Shadow!" he called, weaving in and out of the crowds of people, trying to keep the little ball of yellow fur in his sights. He was so focused on the dog that he didn't notice his anklet beeping in protest as he overstepped his radius in pursuit of the fleeing canine.

Neal dashed past the football game and onto a stone path that led towards the street. With his head start, Shadow managed to stay just out of reach and evade capture as he turned off the main path and onto another smaller one. Finally, in a small alcove of the park, characterized by a stone fountain surrounded by the natural stone path, with a couple benches on either side of it, and bushes and tall grasses all around, Shadow found a patch of grass under a tree, and started rolling in it.

Neal slowed to a stop, his hands on his knees, trying to catch his breath. "Shadow, you're killin' me, here," he said breathlessly.

As Neal began to slow his heart rate to a manageable level and started to walk toward the playful puppy, Peter appeared on the path that lead to the street, cell phone in hand.

"Neal!" he called just as Neal scooped the puppy up in his arms. Neal turned around, and didn't bother to hide his confusion upon seeing the FBI man.

"Peter?" he said as Peter made his way over to him. "What are you doing here?"

Peter held up his phone. Displayed on the screen was Neal's tracking data. "You're outside your radius," he explained, looking at his friend suspiciously.

"Really?" Neal asked, genuinely surprised. He glanced down at his anklet, taking in the red light shining up at him. "Oops," he said at last.

"Oops?" Peter raised an eyebrow. Ever since he almost ran off two months ago, he was a little more careful about situations like this.

"Yeah, as in, sorry about that," Neal said a little sarcastically. Then his voice returned to normal. "Peter, I know what you're thinking, and I honestly didn't know I was out of bounds. I was going for a walk with Rebecca and Jessica and Shadow here," Neal looked at the squirming yellow bundle in his arms, then pulled away when the dog tried to lick his face, "got out of his collar. I volunteered to go find him, and somewhere along the way I must have overstepped my radius."

Peter studied him for a moment, then nodded, buying his story. "Come on," he said, nodding towards the path behind him. "I'll call Rebecca, have them head back to their house, and we'll meet them there."

Neal nodded quickly in agreement, still a little out of breath. "Ok, just give me a second to get Shadow situated," he said, walking over to one of the benches and setting the puppy down. Peter followed and made sure the dog stayed put while Neal tightened his collar a little bit and strapped it around his neck. The two friends were about to leave when Neal noticed some disturbance in the waist-high grasses around the fountain.

"Hey, Peter," he said. His friend turned to look at him. "Hold this," he said, handing the leash off to the agent. Then he made his way over to the tall grass, quickly discovering that there was a void in the grass. Carefully, he pushed the tall blades aside to get a better view. What he saw made him gasp.

"Peter," Neal called over his shoulder. "You need to see this."

Leash in hand, the FBI agent made his way over to where the consultant stood, peering through the grass. "Oh, God," he said softly, tightening his grip on the leash so Shadow wouldn't go any closer.

There, hidden by grass, was the bloody body of a man with a gunshot wound in his shirt.


	2. Payback

Neal walked into the FBI office the afternoon following his discovery of the body in the park. Peter had called and said they had a case, but hadn't been to keen to give him the details. With a sigh, he made his way up to his partner's office, walking through the open door and taking a seat in front of his desk. Peter stopped typing and, without turning away from his computer screen, looked at Neal.

"Ok, I know you own me for four years, but you're making me miss Jessica's art show, here," Neal said with a weary sigh.

Peter smiled slightly. "Sorry," he said with a shrug, turning to face him completely.

Neal rolled his eyes. "So what's this case you were telling me about?"

"The body you found in the park was a known art thief," Peter told him, handing him a file. "Simon Price."

"I've heard of him," Neal nodded, looking over the file. "If half of what I heard is true, he was pretty good."

"He was," Peter agreed. "He was the prime suspect in several forgery and art theft cases. But now, we want to know who killed him and why. And also what this means," Peter handed over a clear plastic bag sealed with red evidence tape. Inside was a piece of ordinary printer paper with a picture of what looked like a tiger in the upper left hand corner of the page. In the middle of the page was a message of some sort:

AERU CSBE OLNA TIE KLL HEGP

"Mean anything to you?" Peter asked after a moment.

Neal shook his head. "Nope," he sighed. "Nothing." He paused for a second, thinking. "Can I get a copy of this? Maybe Mozzie will be able to tell us more."

"Sure," Peter nodded, readily handing over a copy of the message.

"You're such a boy scout," Neal teased, standing up. Peter laughed slightly, then turned back to the computer screen as Neal made his way towards the door.

Neal was about to leave when he stopped and turned around. "Uh, Peter," he said, causing the agent to look up once more. "I know this is a little short notice, but I have to go home early today," he told him. "Rebecca has to work late and I promised I'd watch Jessica. She'll be dropping her off at my place around five."

Peter hesitated, then nodded, "Sure, go ahead."

Neal smiled, "Thanks, Peter."

"No problem," the agent shrugged. With that, Neal left the office, calling Mozzie so they could start working on the coded message.

* * *

><p>Neal walked along the street, heading for the Redbox not too far away, hoping to get a movie for Jessica to watch. It was almost six. Rebecca had dropped Jessica off just an hour ago. June was watching her while Neal went to get the movie.<p>

As Neal approached the Redbox outside the pharmacy, he heard a familiar beeping and looked down at his anklet. The light was yellow, indicating he was at the edge of his radius.

"Oh, you have got to be kidding me!" He groaned. He was just ten feet from the Redbox. Glad there weren't a lot of people on the quiet street, he reached for the buttons on the Redbox, keeping his anklet foot back and stretching forward as far as he could. His fingers were just inches from the button. He couldn't quite reach.

After about three minutes of stretching his limbs to their limits, someone cleared their throat beside him. Neal turned to see Peter smirking at him. Looking past the FBI man, Neal could see Peter's car. How could he have forgotten that the pharmacy was on Peter's route home?

"Watcha doin'?" Peter asked, stifling a laugh.

"Shut up," Neal growled, standing up straight. "I'm at the edge of my radius. I can't go any farther."

"Would you like some help?" Peter asked with an almost childish smile.

"Yes!" Neal said grouchily, handing over the money needed for the rental. Peter laughed and stepped up to the Redbox.

"What movie do you want?" he asked.

"_Tangled_," Neal said with a sigh, putting his hands in his pockets.

Peter inserted the money and pressed the appropriate button, then scooped up the DVD from the slot. "There ya go," he said, handing over the case.

"Thanks," Neal nodded, taking the DVD from him.

"You and Mozzie have any luck?" Peter asked.

Neal shook his head. "Nothing. We can't make heads or tails of it. We've tried everything, but it just doesn't make sense. Sorry, Peter. We'll keep trying."

Peter nodded, "Thanks, Neal. Have fun with Jessica."

"No problem," Neal smiled, starting to walk away.

"Oh, and Neal," Peter said, stopping Neal in his tracks.

"Yeah?" Neal asked, turning around.

Peter pulled up a video on his phone and turned the screen to Neal. "You look pretty good on camera," he said with a laugh.

Neal looked closely at the screen and realized it was a video of him, stretched out, reaching desperately for the Redbox. Neal tried to grab the phone away from him but Peter pulled it out of his reach. "Delete it, Peter!" Neal commanded.

"No, I think Diana and Jones would love to see it. They'd really appreciate it," Peter said, beginning to send the video out. Neal dove for it again, and Peter took a step back. Again, Neal reached for it, taking a step forward. His anklet beeped in protest.

"Watch it, Neal," Peter said with a childish grin. "Any farther and I have to arrest you."

"Delete it, Peter!" Neal said angrily.

"Consider this payback for my mustache," Peter said with a laugh, referring to the time Neal had showed a picture of him sporting a Mario-like mustache to everyone in the office.

"Peter!" Neal shouted after him.

"Goodbye, Neal," Peter waved at him as he got in his car and drove off.

Neal let out a frustrated sigh, then started for home…

* * *

><p>"Hey, Daddy," Jessica said when Neal walked through the front door. She was curled up on the couch in front of the TV in the foyer, a blanket over her legs, Shadow by her side.<p>

"Hey, Jessi," Neal smiled, walking over to the TV and inserting the _Tangled_ disk into the DVD player, pressing play. He turned back towards Jessica and noticed a pad of paper on the coffee table and Neal's copy of the coded note beside it.

Jessica noticed him looking. "Oh, yeah, I kinda fiddled with your little puzzle thingy and figured it out. I hope you didn't want to figure it out yourself."

"You figured it out?" Neal asked in shock.

"Yeah," Jessica confirmed. "Whoever made it was saying hi to Peter."

Neal picked up the pad of paper and studied it. "How did you do that, Jessi?" he asked finally, taking a seat beside her.

Jessica leaned over and pointed to the tiger drawing in the upper left corner. "Well, see, I saw this, and I started thinking about tigers. Then I noticed that there were six letter groupings, the same number of letters in 'TIGERS'," she explained. "On a hunch, I wrote out 'TIGERS' and numbered the letters in alphabetical order, so 'T' was six, 'I' was three, 'G' was two, 'E' was one, 'R' was four, and 'S' was five. Then I put each letter group in a column, the first group going down under 'E', the second under 'G', and so on. The result was gibberish," she sighed, pointing to a group of letters underneath all the work she had just explained: HOCATKELSEILGNBRELPAEU. "So then I just started doodling with the letters. After a while, I put them in a zig-zag pattern going up and down, three letters down, two up, two down, two up, and so on. And then they started to make sense. When I read it that way, it said this," Jessi pointed to the message she had written and circled under her doodles: 'Hello, Special Agent Burke'.

Neal stared at the paper in disbelief, then shifted his gaze to Jessica, pride in his eyes.

"What?" Jessica asked.

"You are a genius," Neal told her. He picked up the remote and pressed 'Play Movie'. "You watch the movie, ok? I'll be right back. I just have to call Peter."

"Ok, Daddy," Jessica agreed as Neal moved out of earshot around the corner.

"Hello?" Peter said when he answered Neal's call.

"Peter," Neal said excitedly. "Jessica cracked it."

"Jessica cracked what?" Peter asked, confused.

"The coded message!" Neal said, frustrated.

"Jessica did?" Peter asked, surprised.

"Yes!" Neal told him impatiently.

"Huh…maybe we should hire her as the consultant instead," Peter teased.

"Not now, Peter. We have a problem," Neal scolded.

"What is it?" Peter asked, now all business.

"Whoever killed his guy was trying to send a message to you," Neal explained.

"What do you mean?"

"The message is 'Hello, Special Agent Burke', Peter!"

Peter was quiet for a moment. "Can you get over to my house?" he asked finally.

"No, I have to stay here with Jessica," Neal sighed.

"Right, I almost forgot. Alright, then I'm on my way over."

"Alright, see you when you get here."

"Bye."

"Bye," Neal hung up the phone with a sigh and returned to sit down beside Jessica and Shadow…


	3. Underestimations

Peter knocked on June's front door around seven. Neal quickly got up from the couch and answered it, letting his partner in.

"Hey, Jessica," Jessica tore her gaze away from the movie to look at her father. "Peter and I are going to be in the other room working, if you need us, ok?" Neal told her.

"You're not going to watch?" Jessica asked.

"I wish I could, sweetheart," Neal sighed. "But Peter and I have stuff to do."

Jessica sighed, "Ok, Daddy." She sounded disappointed, so Neal sighed.

"I'll meet you in there, ok, Peter?" Neal whispered. Peter nodded and vanished into the other room.

Neal head up to his room and grabbed a little velvet box from the hiding place behind the picture by his bed. He had wanted to give this to Jessica on her birthday a week ago, but it hadn't arrived in time.

Neal returned to the first floor and sat down on the couch beside Jessica. "Guess whose birthday present finally arrived," he said with a smile.

Jessica's eyes lit up and she squealed in excitement, taking the box and untying the red ribbon that held it closed. She didn't hesitate before opening the velvet box. When she did, she gasped.

Inside the box was a gold, heart-shaped locket with a star etched on it, four points stretching away from a diamond in the center. Jessica turned the locket over. Engraved on the back were the words:

_My miracle,_

_Straight from Heaven's_

_brightest star._

_I Love You._

_~Dad_

Jessica squealed and threw her arms around Neal's neck, giving him a tight hug. Neal laughed and hugged her back. Not to be left out, Shadow jumped up and started licking them. The two pulled away with a laugh, petting the dog. Neal took the locket out of the box and clasped it around her neck while Jessica held her hair out of the way.

"Thank you, Daddy," Jessica beamed, hugging her dad again.

Neal hugged her back, "No problem, kiddo," he said softly. He gave her a kiss on the top of the head and pulled away from the hug, standing up. "Enjoy the movie, ok?"

"Ok," Jessica grinned, laying her head down on a pillow on the arm of the couch and turning on her side to watch the TV. Shadow curled up into a little ball by her feet.

Neal walked into the room next door where Peter was sitting at the kitchen table. Neal tossed the notepad with Jessica's work on it onto the table. Peter picked it up, examining it.

"She's a mini you," he said at last.

"You should see her drawings," Neal told him, the pride evident in his voice.

"Is she good?" Peter asked.

"She's amazing. For anyone, she's amazing, Peter, but for a nine-year-old girl...she's as good as me, Peter," Neal said excitedly.

"Wow," Peter raised his eyebrows. "She is you." He looked up from the notepad and met the consultant's eyes. "Let's just hope she makes better choices."

Neal rolled his eyes, "You can lecture me on good parenting later, Peter. Right now, we have to figure out what to do about that message."

"I'm not sure there's much we can do," Peter said with a sigh, putting the notepad down. "I mean, we don't know who this guy is or what he wants."

"Peter, we shouldn't underestimate this," Neal said urgently. "I don't want anything to happen to you."

"I'm not underestimating this," Peter said sternly, trying to keep his voice down. "I'm just being realistic. There isn't much to go on."

"Well we can't just ignore it. Whoever wrote this killed someone. If we just sit back and do nothing, then by the time you decide to take this seriously, it will be too late," Neal told him.

"Neal, I appreciate your concern, but there isn't a whole lot I can do right now," Peter said helplessly.

Neal sighed, pacing back and forth. "I hate this feeling, Peter," he said at last, sounding agitated.

"What feeling?" Peter asked, watching his friend carefully.

"That something bad's gonna happen and I can't do a thing to stop it," Neal elaborated. "I hate it."

Peter sighed. "Nothing bad is going to happen," he said finally. "Whoever this guy is, he's not Mason, Neal."

"No, he's not, you're right, Peter," Neal said, struggling to keep his voice down so he wouldn't disturb Jessica. "He's not Mason. But he could be worse. He could be an even bigger lunatic. He could be even more dangerous. He could kill you. And I don't just mean poison you and almost kill you like Mason did, I mean he could really kill you."

"We don't even know that he wants to kill me," Peter pointed out. "You're jumping to conclusions."

"But what if I'm right?" Neal countered.

"If you're right, I'll find a way out of whatever situation I'm in, and then you'll owe me the biggest 'I told you so' ever," Peter said jokingly.

Neal rolled his eyes, realizing this was getting nowhere. He sat down across from Peter, clasping his hands in front of his face, trying to fight off the flashbacks swarming his head: Mason taking Jessica, Mason shooting and killing him in the warehouse, being in a coma, Mason taking Peter, making him watch as he poisoned him, shooting and killing Mason…every terrifying second of the worst five months of his life. Despite how tightly his hands were clasped together, they still shook visibly.

"Neal?" Peter asked, concerned. Neal blinked, snapping out of his trance.

"I can't have something happen to you again and know I could have prevented it," Neal said finally. "I can't. I couldn't take it; I wouldn't be able to handle it."

"Nothing is going to happen," Peter said firmly.

"You can't know that for sure," Neal muttered.

"Nothing I say is going to convince you, is it?" Peter asked with a hopeless sigh. Neal shook his head, his face serious.

"Well, there's nothing more we can do right now," Peter told him, standing up. "I'll see you in the morning."

Neal nodded at him as he left the room, said goodnight to Jessica, and exited the front door. After a moment, Neal returned to the foyer and took a seat in a chair beside Jessica as she rested on the couch. Before long, the little girl was fast asleep. Neal, completely exhausted, was quick to follow suit…

* * *

><p>The next morning, Peter headed off to work, like always. He kissed El goodbye, told her he loved her, and climbed into his car, starting it up, and pulling out of the driveway. But what happened next broke routine.<p>

"Hello, Special Agent Burke," said a man from the back seat. He sat up from the floor and aimed his gun, with a silencer attached, at the agent in the driver's seat. He was in his late thirties, with dark brown hair and grey eyes. "It's nice to finally meet you in person."

Peter's heart raced. "Damn it," he whispered, trying to think of what to do.

"Pull into this ally, Peter," the man commanded. Peter made a right turn into the alley. "Now kill the engine and get out."

Peter took a deep breath, turned off the motor, and got out of the car. The man followed him. Summoning his courage, Peter turned around to face the man, just in time for him to hit him, hard, across the face, causing him to fall to one knee.

"You have something I want, Peter," the man growled angrily. "And I'm done waiting. Once I get rid of you, she's all mine."

It took Peter a moment to realize who he was talking about. _El,_ He thought frantically, turning to look at his attacker, starting to get to his feet. He was met by another slap across the face with the gun. The process repeated twice more before the man finally dragged him to his feet and shoved him forward, further down the alley, until they reached another car.

"Give me your cell phone, Peter," the man said sharply, the anger still evident in his voice. Groggily, his brain starting to go fuzzy with concussion, he obeyed, drawing his phone out of his pocket and handing it over. The man took it and threw it back towards the car. "Now get in," he demanded, opening up the passenger side door. Almost not sure what was going in, Peter got in the car and flinched when the man slammed the door behind him, and then jumped when he got into the driver's seat a second later and started the car, pulling back onto the street.

"Who are you...?" Peter asked softly, his mind confused.

"Oh, I'm sorry, I seem to have forgotten my manners," the man sneered, acid in his voice. "My name is Logan Baker. And you are Special Agent Peter Burke of the FBI, and you had the misfortune of marrying my girl. Now, normally, I'd just kill you, but I see this as an opportunity to really get to know El before I go see her. So, if you just cooperate, we'll get along just fine."

Peter didn't answer as Logan slowed to a stop behind an old abandoned apartment complex and put the car in park, killing the engine. As instructed by Logan, Peter got out of the car and entered the complex through the back door, then made his way into room 1C. He didn't feel very good. His head throbbed, and he was starting to get really dizzy and a little numb. Seconds after he crossed the threshold of the apartment, he collapsed onto the dusty floor, out cold...


	4. Chocolate for Dogs

Neal made his way through the streets and finally arrived at the Burke residence. Terrible flashbacks were tormenting his mind as he pushed open the front door and looked around. El was crying on the couch, and there were about three agents in the kitchen, huddled around a computer and arguing. Neal ignored them and immediately turned his attention to El, sitting down next to her and wrapping her in a hug.

"It's going to be ok," Neal whispered soothingly. "I promise, we're going to find him." El didn't respond, still crying into his shoulder.

Two hours ago, suspicious about Peter's failure to show up to the office, Diana had traced Peter's cell phone, only to find it, as well as his car, abandoned in an alley, with a few drops of Peter's blood by the open driver's side door. Neal felt so guilty. He knew there was more to that message. He should have done something, anything, to convince Peter to take it more seriously, to be more careful. He should have been there.

Neal spent most of the rest of the day with El, doing his best to calm her, trying to in some way make things right in his mind while they searched for Peter, only leaving for about an hour when Jones asked him to come to the office and help them out. Later that night, El asked his Neal could spend the night because she didn't feel safe alone.

"It's just for tonight," El assured him. "I'm sure I'll get over it by tomorrow, but for now...I just, don't want to be here alone..."

"Sure," Neal agreed. "No problem."

El nodded gratefully, and they were silent for a moment. "God, I can't believe this is happening again..." she said finally, her voice quiet.

"I'm sorry, El," Neal said helplessly. "I promise, we're going to get Peter back. And there are a couple of agents sitting on the house so you'll be fine, too."

"I know, it's just...Every time Peter leaves this house, I get scared he won't come back. And after what happened with Keller and Mason...I just don't know if I can keep doing this..." El sighed.

"Peter is going to be fine," Neal said firmly. "I will bring him home safe, I promise."

El hesitated, then nodded. "Ok," she agreed. Then she got a blanket and pillow so Neal could sleep on the couch, and finally crawled into bed...

* * *

><p>Peter woke up slowly, his head throbbing, his eyes burning, and feeling all-around crappy. He struggled to open his eyes and lift his head. Finally, he managed to do both, and looked around. He was still in the apartment, and realized he was handcuffed to a wooden chair, the chain looped under one of the wooden beams across the back of the chair, connecting the back too legs.<p>

"Good morning, sleepy head," Peter turned his head to see Logan lounging on a threadbare couch in the corner. "It's about time you woke up. You slept straight through the night." When Peter didn't answer, Logan stood up from the couch, grabbed another chair identical to Peter's, dragged it over in front of the FBI agent, and spun it around, straddling it, and resting his arms across the back of the chair, facing Peter.

"You feel up to answering some questions?" he asked. He didn't give Peter a chance to answer. "Great," he smiled, pulling a photograph out of his pocket and holding it up in front of Peter's face. It was a surveillance shot of Neal exiting his house. "Who is this?"

Without thinking, his brain a little slow on thoughts, but not on memories, which all seemed to have a direct line to his mouth, he answered, "That's Neal."

"What's Neal's last name?" Logan pressed.

It seemed like Peter's brain didn't have enough time to process and filter his answers before he spoke them. "Caffrey," he said softy.

"Good, and how do you know him?" Logan continued.

Finally, Peter seemed to get a grip. "He's a friend," he said simply, becoming more alert, trying not to give anything away.

Logan studied the FBI man's face, trying to decide if he was telling the truth. "Ok," he nodded, seeming to buy it. "At least now that I have a name I can do my own research and see what you're not telling me," he shrugged, taking out another picture and holding it up in front of his face as Peter sighed hopelessly and looked down.

"Eyes up here, Peter," Logan commanded. Slowly, Peter looked up at the picture in front of his face. When he did, his heart skipped a beat. It was a picture of Neal with Jessica at the park with Shadow, taken just a few days ago, when Shadow got off leash and Peter thought Neal was trying to run. He could tell by the suit Neal was wearing.

Logan smiled at the flash of recognition in Peter's eyes. "Who is that little girl with Neal?" he asked. Peter didn't answer. Logan tilted his head slightly and smiled. "That's his daughter, isn't it?" Peter's face told him everything. "It is," Logan laughed. "Great, then this shouldn't be too hard."

"You touch her, or El, and I will kill you," Peter threatened.

"Big words for someone in your situation," Logan sneered. Peter fell silent.

"Since you bring up El," Logan continued. "That brings me to one last thing I need you to tell me." Peter looked like he was trying to strangle Logan with his eyes as he spoke. Logan saw this and smiled. "Tell me everything you know about El."

* * *

><p>Neal paced the floor of his apartment, deep in thought, as the sun set behind him, trying desperately to think of something, anything, that would help find Peter. He had spent the majority of the day at the FBI, helping them find leads and trying his hardest to get something solid. Unfortunately, with all of Peter's success in the white collar crime unit came a lot of enemies, and they hadn't gotten much of anything.<p>

"At this rate, all you're going to accomplish is wearing a groove in the floor," Mozzie said from the kitchen table.

"I'm missing something, Moz," Neal sighed, continuing to pace.

"Maybe if you and your little prodigy could get together and work it out," Mozzie smiled, obviously referring to Jessica. He had gotten really excited when Neal told him about how she cracked the code that even he hadn't had any luck at. He had started rambling about how many cons they could do with Jessica on their team.

Just like he had that night, Neal shook his head. "I'm not getting Jessica involved in this life, Moz. She's just a little girl."

"She's your little girl, Neal," Moz reminded him. "And she's every bit as talented as you are. She might even pass you on the talent scale at the rate she's going."

Neal sighed. "She picked the lock on her front door the other day," he said softly. Mozzie's eyes got wide.

"Really?" he said excitedly.

Neal nodded. "She lost her house key," he confirmed. He wasn't sure why he was telling Mozzie this, because he was serious when he said he wasn't going to let Jessica get involved in this life. Maybe some part of him was just proud of her and had to brag.

"I'm starting to really like this kid of yours, Neal," he said, grinning.

Neal smiled and chuckled softly. Then he shook his head and got back on topic. "Something's not right," he said. "I'm missing something. I can feel it."

Mozzie sighed. "Well, what is it that's bugging you?" he asked at last.

"It's just..." Neal paused. "If this was just about Peter, why kill Simon? How does he fit into this?"

"Had Peter ever handled any of his cases?" Mozzie asked.

Neal was about to answer when, on the table beside Mozzie, Neal's phone rang. He quickly answered it. "Hello?"

"Neal, it's Rebecca," Neal could hear Jessica crying in the background.

"Rebecca?" Neal asked, surprised. "What is it? Is Jessica ok?"

"Oh, yeah, Jessica's fine. Shadow, however, got into a bag of chocolate chips and ate about three quarters of it," Rebecca sighed.

"Oh, no," Neal sounded worried. "Is he going to be ok?"

"I think so," Rebecca confirmed. "But I'm going to get him to the vet, and I think it would be best if Jessica stayed with you while I went. It's just for a couple hours."

Neal was just about to respond when someone knocked on his door. He hurriedly pulled open the door and found Jones in the doorway. Not bothering to hide the surprise on his face, he moved aside to let the agent in. At the table, Mozzie visibly stiffened.

"Neal?" Rebecca said, snapping Neal back to the conversation at hand.

"Oh, uh, right, sure, Rebecca, no problem. Bring her on over," Neal nodded.

"Ok, great. We're already on our way, we should be there in about a minute," Rebecca told him.

"Sounds good," Neal agreed. "See you then." With that, they hung up.

"Ok, Jones, I will totally listen to why you're here, but just give me a second," Neal sighed, starting for the door. In the doorway, he stopped and turned back to the room. "Actually, how about we move this party downstairs?"

"Sounds fine to me," Jones agreed. Mozzie simply nodded, and then all three men made their way down the stairs to the first floor.

Almost as soon as they reached the first floor, Neal saw Rebecca pull up to the house and Jessica hop out. Neal jogged to the door and met Jessica by the front steps, leading her inside. She was crying.

"Shadow's going to be fine," Neal said reassuringly as Jessica took a seat on the couch and turned on the TV. She kicked off her shoes and pulled her knees up to her chest, and didn't reply. Neal sighed. "Well, Jones, Mozzie, and I are going to be in the next room if you need us, ok?" Jessica simply nodded. Neal hesitated, then left the room, heading into the room where not long ago, he and Peter had discussed the message Jessica had cracked.

"Ok, so what's up, Jones?" Neal asked, keeping his voice low.

"I was just wondering if you had any idea what we we're missing, here," Jones sighed.

"You, too, huh?" Mozzie commented.

Neal was about to reply when, suddenly, Jessica screamed in the other room. Without even a moment's hesitation, Neal dashed around the corner and into the foyer, only vaguely aware of Jones and Mozzie following close behind. "Jessica!" he called, and froze when he saw what was happening. A man in his thirties, with dark brown hair and grey eyes, was holding Jessica by the arm, a gun aimed at her head.

Neal's heart skipped a beat, his breathing growing shallow. "Look, I don't know who you are or what you want, but please, just let Jessica go," he said softly.

"Oh, her?" the man smiled, glancing down at Jessica before returning his gaze to Neal. "I couldn't care less about Jessica, Neal. I will let her go, I swear, just as long as you do what I say."

Neal glanced at Jones, who was on his left, his gun drawn and aimed at the man, then at Jessica, who was looking at him with terrified eyes. Finally, he looked up and met the man's gaze.

The man grinned when he saw the look on Neal's face. "Good, so we understand each other," he said evenly. "First things first. Have your friend over there back off and drop his gun."

Neal looked at Jones, his eyes pleading. Jones glanced between Neal, Jessica, and the man holding her captive. Finally, after a long, agonizing minute, Jones did as the man said, dropping his gun to the floor.

"Good," The man smiled. "Agent...Jones, correct?" Jones' angry expression told him everything he needed to know. Neal, on the other hand, was staring at Jessica. Her eyes were terrified, full of tears, but there was something else there, too, a knowing spark that conflicted with her fear.

"Now, here's how things are going to work," the man said with a smile. "Agent Jones, you're going to let Neal out of his anklet, and then Neal, you're going to come with me. Jessica is going to stay here. Sound good? Great. Now get to it."

Jones hesitated, his jaw clenched. Neal glanced between him and Jessica and back, his eyes frantic.

"Jones, please..." Neal said softly.

"Daddy...?" Jessica's voice shook as she spoke, choked with tears. Then she screamed when the man grabbed a handful of her blonde hair and pulled her head back, pressing the gun to her temple.

"Jones!" Neal shouted desperately.

"Alright!" Jones called, causing the man to slowly release Jessica's hair and grab her arm once more. Jones reached into his pocket and pulled out his key ring. Hanging from it was the little black key electronic that unlocked Neal's anklet. Neal put his foot up on the arm of the couch, and Jones quickly freed him of his anklet.

"Good, Jones," the man smiled. "Now, Neal, come over to me."

"No," Neal said defiantly, sounding a lot more confident than he was feeling. "You let Jessica go, and then I go with you. But until she's over here, safe, I'm not going anywhere."

The man hesitated, thinking. "Compromise. Jessica will walk towards you, you will walk towards me, everybody goes home happy," he paused, then smiled. "Well, almost everyone. Deal?"

Neal didn't respond for a while, but finally, he nodded, "Ok."

"Neal," Jones warned. Neal looked at him helplessly.

"You start walking, and I let Jessica go," The man said. Neal nodded, took a deep breath, and slowly started forward. After one or two steps, as promised, the man let Jessica go, and she started walking just as slowly as Neal was towards Jones and Mozzie. Somewhere along the way, Jessica and Neal met, and for a moment, her hand brushed his, and immediately Neal knew what that knowing spark had been about. He gave his daughter a little half smile, and then, before he knew it, the man who had attacked her was pulling him out the door and pushing him into the driver's seat of a silver sedan parked at the curb while he got in the back seat.

"Drive," the man commanded. Neal obeyed, starting the car and taking off down the street. In the rear view mirror, he saw Jones come out of the house, but by then, it was too late...


	5. Really? The Dog?

The man told Neal to pull over in a deserted parking lot about two miles away. "Get out," he hissed. After a moment, Neal did as he was told, stepping out of the car. The man did the same, and raised his gun, aiming it at Neal's head. "You thought you could steal El away from me, huh?" he chuckled, though it was obvious he was angry.

"What?" Neal gasped, his heart racing. "El and I are friends, that's all."

"Yeah, right," the man laughed. "Peter may believe that, but I don't."

"Wait, ok, listen," Neal said urgently. "What's your name?"

"Logan," The man growled.

"Ok, Logan, listen, you want to win El over, right?" Neal said quickly, thinking on his feet. Logan didn't answer. "Killing me is not the way to do it," Neal told him. "Like I said, El and I are friends. She would never forgive you if you killed me. She would hate you."

"She could never hate me," Logan growled. "She loves me."

"Sure, but do you really think killing her friends will make her happy?" Neal said, trying his best to convince the man.

Logan hesitated, then, finally, lowered his gun. Neal let out a shaky breath. Then, out of nowhere, Logan brought his arm back and slammed the gun into Neal's head at just the right spot, knocking him out...

* * *

><p>"Neal?" Neal vaguely heard someone say his name as he started to return to consciousness. His head ached, and his eyes didn't want to open. "Neal, wake up. Are you ok?"<p>

Slowly, Neal opened his eyes and lifted his head. Sitting across from him was Peter, his hands restrained by handcuffs behind him. A quick tug on his own wrists led Neal to discover that he was in the same state.

"Peter," Neal groaned. "Yeah, I'm fine...What about you?"

"I'm fine," Peter sighed.

"Good," Neal said as he shifted painfully in his seat, the metal of the handcuffs digging into his flesh, since there was hardly any room to move his hands. "Then I told you so. Actually that wasn't a big enough 'I told you so'. I'll do better when we get out of here," he said with a smile.

Peter laughed. "I look forward to it," he said sarcatically. There was a slight pause. "What are you doing here?" he asked finally.

Neal sighed. "Jessica was over, I was talking to Jones and Mozzie in the other room, and that guy...Logan showed up. I didn't have a choice, Peter. He had Jessica. He made Jones take off my anklet and then he made me come with him. At least I convinced him not to kill me," he said said with a sigh.

"Yeah, well, there's that," Peter acknowldged. He sighed, "I'm sorry, Neal. I didn't want you and Jessica to get into this." Neal didn't respond. Peter studied the consultant as he shifted restlessly in his chair.

"What are you doing?" he asked finally.

"Where is Logan?" Neal asked in response, not answering the question.

"Not here. He'll be back eventually," Peter told him. "Now what are you doing?"

"You were right before," Neal said, wincing as the metal handcuffs gnawed on his wrists. "Jessica is a mini me."

"What are you talking about?" Peter asked, confused.

"When we walked past each other at the house, she slipped me one of her bobby pins," Neal explained with an excited, proud smile. "God, it was textbook, Peter, a professional pass. Perfection."

"It worries me how much that impresses you," Peter sighed. "But I've gotta say, I'm proud of her, too. But why are you squirming like that?"

"Because I hid the bobby pin on my shirt sleeve and now...I just can't seem to get it..." he said, struggling against his cuffs, trying to get at his sleeve. "How long have I been out, by the way?"

"You've only been here for about ten minutes," Peter told him.

Neal was about to respond when the door opened and Logan made his way into the apartment. Immediately, Neal stopped squirming and settled into his seat.

Peter looked at Logan with hatred in his eyes as he strolled past his captives and picked up a package from the table. He turned as saw Peter and Neal staring at him and smiled.

"I almost forgot the most important piece," Logan smiled, holding up the package. "Well, you two enjoy your last hour or so of life. I'm going to go pick up El and get the rest of our lives started."

"I'm warning you, Logan," Peter growled. "You lay one finger on her, and I promise you, no matter where you go, there won't be a rock big enough for you to hide under. I will find you."

"Take it from me," Neal offered. "When Peter makes a commitment to find someone, he finds them."

"You won't live long enough," Logan smiled. "Because as soon as I pick up El, we're coming back here to tie up some loose ends." This caused them to fall silent. Logan laughed slightly at his victory, and headed out the door, leaving agent and consultant alone in the room.

"Neal, hurry up," Peter said urgently as Neal once again began to struggle against his cuffs. Blood dripped onto the floor as the metal ripped his flesh.

"Neal, this place is only a couple miles from my house," Peter said angrily. "It's not going to take him long to get there!"

"I'm trying, Peter!" Neal said, frustrated. Finally, he managed to grab the bobby pin from his sleeve. "Got it!" he reported. From there, it didn't take him long to pick the lock on his left handcuff, and, once he could see what he was doing, even less time to free the right one. Once he was free, he made his way across the room to free Peter.

"No, Neal, go!" Peter said urgently.

"Peter, I'm not leaving you behind when that psycho could come back any minute," Neal said firmly.

"Neal, that psycho is going after my wife!" Peter argued. "I'll be fine. Go!"

Neal hesitated a moment longer, then turned and left the room...

* * *

><p>Neal jogged past the FBI car parked in front of the Burke house, stopping only for a moment to check in on the agents. They were unconscious, but still alive. He had run all the way there from the apartment, and he was exhausted, but that didn't matter. What mattered was that Elizabeth was ok. Careful not to be seen, Neal peeked in the front window and into the living room.<p>

Logan had Elizabeth cornered, silenced gun in hand. She was crying, looking terrified. As Neal watched, he saw Satchmo emerge from the kitchen, snarling, his fur standing up, and probably growling. After a heartbeat's hesitation, the dog launched himself at the psychopath. Neal watched, horrified, as, panicked, Logan pulled the trigger. The shot was inaudible through the window, but the yelp the poor yellow lab let out wasn't. He fell in a heap onto the wooden floor just five feet from Logan and El.

Elizabeth was sobbing now. Logan put his hands on both her arms, seeming to apologize.

Neal had seen enough. Quiet as a church mouse, he crept around the house to the back door. His heart pounding, praying he didn't make too much noise, he tested the handle. It turned easily in his hand. Hardly daring to breathe, crouching low, Neal snuck into the kitchen, silently closing the door behind him. He spotted Elizabeth's phone on the kitchen counter, and, as Logan tried to apologize to El and make her stop crying, crept over to it and picked it up, ducking down behind the counter. Quickly, putting the phone on silent, just in case, he called Jones, listening as it rang.

"Hello?" As soon as Jones answered, Neal, phone in hand, snuck out of his hiding space. Keeping his eyes glued to Logan, who had his back to him, he set the cell phone on the table. Then, mustering his courage, he cleared his throat.

"Logan," Neal said, causing Logan to whirl around, gun in hand.

"How the hell did you get out?" Logan growled.

"El, are you ok?" Neal asked sympathetically, ignoring Logan entirely. Shaking and crying, Elizabeth nodded.

"Of course she's ok," Logan said loudly. "Why wouldn't she be?"

"Well, I don't know, Logan, maybe because you shot the damn dog!" Neal said angrilly. "I mean, seriously, the dog? You're even more screwed up than I thought."

Logan raised his gun, aiming it at Neal's head. "Why don't you shut up before I make you shut up?" he growled.

_Lame comeback,_ Neal thought, but fell silent anyway. At least, for a moment. Slowly, Neal crept toward Elizabeth. "El, let's go, ok?" he said slowly, staring at Logan.

"No!" Logan shouted, turning to El as he said it. Elizabeth cowered away from him, sobbing. Logan turned back to Neal. "You stay where you are! Come on, El," he said, reaching back and putting a hand on her arm, "we're leaving."

"I don't think so, Logan," Neal said, taking a few stept forward. Logan reaimed the gun, causing Neal to stop in his tracks.

"Yeah, well I do," Logan growled, pulling El forward and wrapping an arm around her shoulders.

"Look at her, Logan! She's terrified!" Neal tried to reason with him.

"I told you to stay out of it," Logan said evenly. The look in his eyes said he was seconds from pulling the trigger. Elizabeth saw this and, even though she was shaking, and her heart was racing with fear, she knew what she had to do.

"No," she said, leaning into Logan. "Please, sweatheart, let's just go."

Logan looked at her, unsure. Finally, he nodded and looked back at Neal.

"El," Neal said sympathetically, realizing what she was doing. Elizabeth looked at him with terrified eyes as Logan guided her out the door. Once they were gone, Neal hesitated for only a half a second before racing out the door and looking back and forth, trying to find where they went. But it was too late, they were already gone. He wanted to go after them, but he knew he had to wait for Jones, so he went back inside and sat next to Satchmo, a balled up rag on the seeping bullet wound in his shoulder, getting the bleeding under control.

"You're going to be ok, Satchmo," Neal soothed as the yellow lab whined. Moments later, Jones arrived with several squad cars and FBI agents close behind.

"Neal!" he called as he jumped out of the car.

"I'm in here, Jones!" Neal called back.

"Oh, my God," Diana said when she saw Satchmo.

"Where's El?" Jones asked, afraid of the answer.

Neal sighed helplessly, "I'm sorry, Jones, I lost them."

Jones looked defeated. "Ok, um...Do you know where Peter is?" he asked. Neal nodded. "Ok, Diana, you take care of Satchmo, Neal, you come with me," he ordered. Consultant and agent ran outside and jumped into the car Jones had just left, taking off...


	6. Washington, DC

Peter looked up from his trance when the door of the apartment opened once more and Logan made his way inside...Elizabeth at his side.

"El," Peter said breathlessly. It almost physically hurt him to see the tears running down her face, the fear in her eyes.

"Please, Logan, let's just go!" Elizabeth begged.

"No," Logan refused, raising his gun and aiming it between Peter's eyes. "Not until he's gone. Once he's gone, we can go where ever we want."

"We don't have to kill him," Elizabeth urged. "Please, let's just go!"

"You won't be able to move on unless you know he's gone!" Logan said, frustrated. "Don't try to tell me you wouldn't care. I know you, El. You care about him. And you can't start our new life until you know he's gone!"

Elizabeth glanced between Peter and the gun and back. "You're right, Logan," she said finally. "I do care about him! But I don't love him! I love you, ok? So just please, let's go! Leave him!"

Logan looked at her in shock. Finally, he nodded and lowered the gun. After a heartbeat, he turned and smirked at Peter, then led El out of the room. As she left, El looked over her shoulder, fear, sadness, regret, and love in her eyes.

Peter struggled against his handcuffs. "El!" he cried, trying desperately to get free. But it was too late. They were already gone.

Just a few minutes later, the door burst open. "FBI!" Someone called.

"Peter?" Peter recognized Neal's voice amoung the others. Seconds later, he and Jones came into view. Neal breathed a sigh of relief to see him ok.

"You alright, Peter?" Jones asked as he freed him from his cuffs.

"No, I'm not alright," Peter said softly, seeming distant. "That psychopath has my wife."

"Peter, I'm so sorry," Neal said sadly. "I got there and...I tried to get her out of there but...and then when they left I tried to follow them but they were gone and...and then I had to go take care of Satch and...I'm sorry, Peter," Neal sighed helplessly, guilt evident in his voice.

"I don't blame you, Neal," Peter said absently. Then he paused. "Wait what about Satch?"

Neal flinched and sighed. "Logan shot him," he said softly.

Peter nodded, looking defeated. "My wife, and my dog..." he muttered.

"We're going to find her, Peter, I promise," Neal said firmly. Peter simply nodded...

* * *

><p>"Well, it's not the Four Seasons," Logan said with a sigh as he set the bags he had prepared in the corner of the bedroom, "But we're not going to be here long, so it's ok." He smiled at Elizabeth as she sat on the bed. She forced a smile back, trying to make him think she was happy. Apparently, she sold it well, because Logan bought it.<p>

"Well, I'm going to go get us some food," Logan said. "I'm gonna lock the door when I leave, ok? It's not that I don't trust you, because I do, I just don't trust everyone else."

El nodded, "Oh, no, it's ok, I understand," she smiled.

Logan smiled back. "Great," he laughed. "I'll see you in about fifteen minutes," he said as he started for the door.

"Bye," Elizabeth said, keeping her voice even. She waited until she heard the motel door close before she quickly closed the bedroom door and slid the small, rundown dresser in front of it. Then she grabbed the motel phone. She knew Logan took Peter and Neal's cell phones, so she didn't even bother to call them. She tried Diana instead...

* * *

><p>"Ok, so at first we assumed this was about Peter," Hughes said when everyone gathered in the conference room. Jones, Peter, and Neal were there, and, having already gotten Satchmo taken care of at the vet, had joined them as well. "Jones, I want you to find out everything you can about Logan Baker," he began.<p>

"I already did," Jones sighed, tossing the file folder onto the table. Hughes quickly snatched it up, and began giving orders accordingly.

At that moment, Diana's cell phone rang. She quietly excused herself from the group and answered the call, "Hello?"

"Diana?" Elizabeth's voice shook as she spoke.

"El?" Diana asked in disbelief. Upon hearing the name, all conversation in the conference room stopped. "Hold on let me put you on speaker," she said, walking over to the table and pressing the speaker phone button before setting it down. "Ok, El, you've got me, Jones, Hughes, Peter, and Neal."

"El, are you alright?" Peter asked frantically.

"Yeah...I'm ok..." Elizabeth said uncertainly. "I don't have long. He could be back any minute."

"Ok, El, do you know where you are?" Hughes asked.

"I'm in a motel. I don't know which one," Elizabeth said softly, trying to keep it together. It killed Peter to hear her so scared.

"Alright, El, can you remember anything about the drive?" Neal asked, trying to remain calm. "Did you pass any landmarks?"

"Um...I saw the Empire State Building about thirty minutes in," Elizabeth offered.

"Ok, and how long after that did you get to the motel?" Neal pressed.

Elizabeth didn't get the chance to respond. Because at that moment, the front door opened and closed, signaling Logan's return.

"Oh my God, he's back," El sobbed, panicking.

"Just hang on, El, we're going to get you out of there, I promise," Peter said, his voice strained. Elizabeth didn't respond. Hardly daring to breathe, the group listened as Logan tried to open the bedroom door.

"Ok, very funny, El, open the door," Logan laughed. A few seconds later, he tried again. "El, open the door!" he said a little more forcefully, his voice starting to get angry. He tried once more, and when the door didn't open, he snapped. "Damn it, Elizabeth! Open the door!" he shouted angrily, pounding on the wooden door and trying to force his way in.

"Oh my God, Peter, what do I do?" Elizabeth sobbed as the shouting continued.

Peter paused, summoning his courage. "Honey, I need you to hang up the phone," he said finally, his voice pained.

"What? No!" Elizabeth protested.

"Elizabeth, I don't want to give him anymore of a reason to get mad at you. You have to hang up the phone," Peter told her, sounding almost physically hurt by his own words.

Elizabeth hesitated. "Ok..." she said at last. "I love you."

"I love you too, El," Peter said sadly. "Now hang up."

Elizabeth never got the chance, because at that moment, Logan got in.

"What are you doing?" he shouted angrily. El screamed as it sounded like she dropped the phone and tried to run. They never heard what happened next, because the line went dead...

* * *

><p>"You're sure this is where she was?" Peter asked for about the fifth time as they climbed out of the van in front of the motel they traced the phone number to.<p>

"Yeah," Diana confirmed, doing her best not to get annoyed, as the SWAT team got in place outside the door.

Peter simply nodded. Moments later, they broke down the door and rushed in. Without a second's hesitation, Peter made his way into the bedroom. When he did, his heart stopped.

The room was a mess. The lamp on the side table was broken on the floor. The dresser had toppled over in front of the door. The desk in the corner had all its contents spilled onto the floor. And among the debris, the motel phone, which had been ripped from the wall, lay in the middle of the floor, blood on the edge.

"She's fine, Peter," Diana reassured him as they finished clearing the room. "I know she is."

Peter simply nodded, unable to think. His hand shook. His heart was having trouble controlling its rhythm. He could barely breathe. His wife was God knew where with a psychopath. No words could make what was happening any more bearable...

* * *

><p>Neal sat at his desk, trying to find something for them to go on, the recently acquired file on Logan Baker spread out in front of him. There wasn't much to go on; his Manhattan apartment was empty, and no one had seen him around for days, he hadn't shown up to work for over a week, and his brother and sister hadn't spoken to him in years.<p>

Neal sighed and leaned back in his chair, trying to think. Suddenly, an idea popped into his head. The FBI had alerts out to every airport, and train station they could think of, but they hadn't sent anyone to the marinas. Neal sat up and shuffled through the papers in front of him, trying to find the correct one. Just as he thought, there was a boat registered in Logan's brother's name. It wouldn't be very hard for Logan to get a hold of it. And from there, it wouldn't be hard to disappear.

He was just about to go up to the conference room and tell Jones and Hughes about his suspicions when his cell phone rang. He was going to let it go to voicemail until he saw Rebecca's name on the caller ID. Quickly, he picked up.

"Hey, Rebecca," he greeted her.

"Hi, Neal," Rebecca's voice sounded nervous. "Sorry to call so late. Do you have a minute? We have to talk. It's important."

"Ah..." Neal glanced up at the conference room, where he could see Jones and Hughes arguing. Finally, he sighed, "Yeah, what's up?"

"Well, I..." Rebecca paused and took a moment to gather herself. "Jones told me what happened when Jessica was at your house," she began. "I'm glad you're ok, by the way. You had Jessica and I worried for a minute there."

"Yeah, how's Jessica?" Neal asked.

"She's ok," Rebecca assured him. Then she sighed, "Listen, Neal...I really don't know how to say this, um...I wasn't kidding when I said Jessica needed her father. But ever since you came into our lives, she's been in danger."

"You think I don't realize that?" Neal asked softly, sounding hurt. "I would give anything to ensure that she would get to live her own, normal life."

"I know you would," Rebecca acknowledged. "I know you love her more than anything. But I have to do what's best for her."

Neal's heart skipped a beat. He quickly stood up and walked through the glass door to where the elevators were before saying anything else. "Rebecca, please," he begged softly. "I can't lose her. I'm just getting to know her."

"I'm sorry, Neal," Rebecca said sincerely. "I want her to have a father, I do, but I don't want her to have your life."

"I don't want that either!" Neal said defensively, flinching when his voice unexpectedly grew louder. "Rebecca, please. Whatever you're planning on doing, just tell me what I have to do to make you not do it."

"There's nothing you can do, Neal," Rebecca sighed sympathetically. "I'm sorry. I got a job offer in D.C. The pay's a lot better than what I'm getting now, and the neighborhood I've chosen is great."

"D.C.?" Neal asked in disbelief. "Rebecca, you can't do this to me. You can't do this to Jessica."

"I'm her sole guardian, Neal. I can. And because I think she'd be safer if I did, I'm going to," Rebecca told him firmly. "We're leaving in three weeks so we can get settled in before school starts."

"Rebecca," Neal said helplessly. "Please."

"I'm sorry, Neal," Rebecca repeated, her voice sad. "But it's already done. We'll talk more later, ok? Get back to work." She didn't give Neal a chance to respond before hanging up.

Neal slowly lowered his phone and ended the call from his side, his hand shaking, fighting back tears, and thankful that his back was to the glass doors of the bullpen. He had just wiped his eyes when Jones opened the door and leaned his head out.

"Neal," he said, causing the consultant to turn. "Are you ok?"

"Yeah, Jones," Neal lied. "I'm fine."

Jones hesitated, but decided not to press the issue. "You got anything?" he asked.

Neal nodded. "Yeah, actually, I do, um..." he pushed past the FBI man and into the office, stopping at his desk. "I've been thinking, and Logan's only logical option to leave the city would be by water. But I also don't think he'd risk recognition by buying a ticket in person or a paper trail by buying online."

"Ok, so what does that leave?" Jones questioned.

"Logan's brother Anthony hasn't talked to him in years, but he owns a boat that would be perfect for getting him and El out of New York," Neal explained. He handed a sheet of paper with all the information about the boat on it over to the FBI agent.

"That's great, Neal, thanks," Jones said, taking his phone out and calling Peter as he started for the elevators. Neal started to follow him, but Jones stopped him.

"Where do you think you're going?" he asked.

"With you and Peter to the boat," Neal replied, confused.

"No, you're sitting this one out, Neal," Jones said firmly as the doors began to close. "Go home, ok?"

Neal sighed and nodded just before he was left alone in front of the elevator. Then he smiled. _Go home? Yeah, right..._


	7. I Told You So

Neal arrived at the marina just in time to beat the FBI moving into position. It didn't take long for him to locate the boat. It was big, like a yacht, but a little smaller. And completely unguarded. It was cake getting onboard. Careful not to be seen, he started looking in the windows, trying to catch a glimpse of Elizabeth inside. Finally, just as he was beginning to think he was wrong about Logan's intentions, he saw her through the window that looked into the boat's bedroom. Her head was bloody, and she was crying, but for the most part, she seemed ok, causing Neal to breathe a sigh of relief. Glancing around to make sure Logan was still nowhere to be found, Neal drew out his phone and quickly texted Peter.

Peter sat in the back of the van, strapping on his bullet proof vest, getting ready to move into position, when he received Neal's text:

_Els in the bedroom. She looks ok._

Both relieved and angry, he quickly texted back:

_I thought u told Jones ud go home_

Seconds later, he got a response:

_I lied.  
><em>_Now hurry up and get out here._

Peter smiled in spite of himself, tucking his phone away. Then, they were ready to go, and slowly, trying not to draw attention to themselves in the dark of the night, they began to move into position.

Back on deck, Logan had emerged from below deck, and Neal, heart racing, was able to quickly ninja past him and go below deck. There weren't many doors to choose from as far as which one the bedroom was, and he got it on the first try. Elizabeth looked up, fear in her eyes, when the door opened. Then her eyes flooded with relief when she saw Neal make his way inside. She quickly stood up and ran to him, throwing her arms around him, sobbing into his shoulder. Neal hugged her back.

"Where's Peter?" Elizabeth asked softly after a moment. "Is he ok?"

"Peter is fine," Neal assured her, pulling away. "He's outside in the van. He's coming for you."

But there was a problem. When Logan went above deck to untie the boat from the dock, he saw one of the SWAT agents as he shuffled into position, and panicked. Quickly, he untied the boat and bolted below deck, where he started the boat's motor and started to race away from the dock. In the bedroom, Neal and El stumbled at the sudden lurch of motion. On the dock, Peter, unwilling to leave Elizabeth alone with Logan for another second, raced forward as well, chasing the speeding boat, despite the shouted protests from his coworkers. He leapt into the air, and just barely managed to catch the end of the boat underneath him. He was onboard.

* * *

><p>Logan saw Peter's daring leap and knew he was going to have to do something if everything was going to work out like he planned. He put the boat on autopilot and made his way, gun in hand, into the bedroom.<p>

He was definitely not expecting to find Neal in there with Elizabeth.

"What are you doing here?" Logan growled. He didn't wait for an answer before grabbing Elizabeth's arm and yanking her away from Neal. When Neal tried to get her back, Logan cocked the gun and aimed it at his head. Neal obediently froze.

Logan looked ready to pull the trigger when Peter finally made an appearance behind him. "Drop it, Logan," Peter commanded, his gun aimed steadily at his head. Logan whipped the gun around to aim it at Peter.

"I don't think so, Peter," he smiled. "Why don't you just give up and admit defeat? It would save me the trouble of disposing of your bodies."

As Logan spoke, Neal slowly, carefully, began to creep toward him and Elizabeth, just waiting to get within striking distance. Peter saw this and cleared his throat, trying to keep Logan's attention on him, "Because, just like you, I love Elizabeth. And I don't want her to get hurt."

"I would never hurt her," Logan growled.

"That gash on her head leads me to believe otherwise," Peter said coldly. Finally, Neal was in position. With one lightning motion, his hands shot out and grabbed Elizabeth's shoulders as he yanked her away from Logan's grasp. He spun her around, so he was between her and Logan, and shielded her as he pushed her out of Logan's reach.

Surprised, Logan turned and aimed the gun at Neal, rage in his eyes, and fired. Luckily, he missed. Elizabeth screamed as the bullet buried itself in the wall behind her.

"Let her go, Neal!" Logan shouted, shaking with anger.

"Neal, get her out of here!" Peter commanded. Of course, Neal listened to his partner, gently guiding Elizabeth around behind Peter and out of the bathroom, taking her above deck. Logan shouted a long train of cuss words at him as they disappeared.

"It's over, Logan," Peter said evenly.

"She never loved you, you know," Logan shouted bitterly, his grip tightening on the trigger. "She always loved me. And I love her!"

"If you love her, then why does she have that mark on her face, huh?" Peter countered. "And why did she call me to come save her at the motel?"

"She didn't," Logan growled. "I talked to her. She just wanted to make sure you were ok. That's the kind of person she is. Even though she doesn't love you, she still cared about how you were doing!"

"No, she never loved you, Logan. She loves me. She always has, and she always will," Peter said angrily. This guy was just pissing him off, now.

Peter watched as something seemed to snap behind Logan's eyes. He ran forward and before Peter could react, shoved him into the wall behind him. He delivered some powerful blows to the agent's stomach with his knee, then grabbed his wrist and hit it, hard, against the wall until he dropped the gun. It skidded away from them.

Finally, Peter recovered, pushing Logan off of him. The man stumbled back as Peter dove for the gun. He didn't quite reach it when Logan's foot hit Peter's chest, knocking the wind out of him and causing him to sprawl out on his back. Dazed and desperate, Peter reached for the gun, which was just within reach. But Logan stepped on Peter's wrist, immobilizing it, and aimed his own gun at his head.

"I knew I should have killed you. She can't move on until you're gone. Well you know what? I'm going to help her move on. You and Neal...your little FBI friends will never be able to find your bodies. And El and I will be long gone, living our own lives," he growled.

* * *

><p>Neal took Elizabeth above deck and sat her down on one of the chairs up there as they sped through the water. "Are you going to be ok if I go check on Peter?" he asked urgently. Shaking, Elizabeth nodded. "Ok, I'll be right back, I promise."<p>

Neal headed back below deck, to a small gun safe he had seen when he came down. He heard Peter and Logan arguing in the bedroom, and didn't waste time as he began to crack the simple combination lock. It took less than a minute. Resting inside the safe was an unloaded glock and a magazine full of bullets. Neal quickly combined the two, loading the gun and creeping back towards the bedroom, ignoring how much he hated the feel of the gun in his hand.

"...gone, living our own lives," Logan was saying. Neal took in the sight of his partner on the floor, Logan stepping on his wrist, the gun aimed between the agent's eyes. He could tell by the look in Logan's eyes that he was planning on killing Peter. It was the same look Mason had had when he charged at him with those scissors. Neal took careful aim with his gun, and fired. It was a direct hit, the bullet burrowing itself into Logan's dominant hand. Logan cried out and dropped the gun, stumbling back off Peter's wrist.

Peter took advantage of the distraction, scooping up his gun and knocking Logan's out of reach as he got to his feet. Logan didn't back down, though. He went at Peter again, but hardly took a step before Peter slammed the gun down on a pressure point in the base of the man's neck, knocking him out cold.

Neal put the gun down on top of the gun safe and slowly made his way into the room. Agent and consultant exchanged weary, relieved glances, and dragged Logan over to the bed, where they handcuffed him to the bedpost and tied a sheet around his hand to stop the bleeding. Then Neal began to steer the boat back to shore as Peter went above deck to sit with Elizabeth. Finally, this nightmare was over.

"By the way, Peter," Neal said, causing the FBI agent to tear his eyes away from Elizabeth. Neal pulled his cell phone out of his pocket and pulled up an audio file, pressing play. Peter smiled and laughed when the phone proceeded to sing "I told you so" in various forms. For over three minutes.

_**The End**_


End file.
